Mann - Mann - Mann's World

These days, one feels almost pathetically grateful for a new urban pop artist who doesn't default to the overdriven, Eurohouse chart template. When the first few tracks of Mann's debut album demonstrate the 20-year-old rapper's penchant for old-school G-funk and an actual light touch, it's enough to make you predisposed to look on it favourably.

It's not a feeling that bears much scrutiny. The album is helmed by one JR Rotem, whose discography to date places him firmly into the ‘generic hack’ category of producers: Rihanna's SOS, Iyaz's Replay, so many Jason Derülo singles that you begin...

Trivium - Trivium - In Waves

In the past, Trivium were seen as being the future. On a freezing day at the 2005 Download Festival at Donington Park, thousands upon thousands of metalheads could be seen sprinting their way across uneven ground in order to watch the Orlando quartet’s early afternoon set. The buzz was such that immediately after this the band were featured on the front cover of Kerrang!, and whispers could be heard claiming that theirs was the name reserved for the grandest chair at metal’s high table. At the time Metallica were flogging their frankly awful St Anger album, and...

Jeff Buckley - Jeff Buckley - Grace

While Jeff Buckley’s sole complete studio document has achieved two million sales worldwide since its mid-90s release, its impact at the time was far from impressive. And that’s from both critical and commercial perspectives, as although today it’s regularly held in high regard come top-albums lists, a mixed reception greeted it on its initial emergence.

Listening today, almost 17 years to the day after that first release, it’s easy to hear why reviewers weren’t universally moved by Grace. Its best-known track isn’t even one penned by Buckley, Hallelujah being a cover of Leonard Cohen’s haunting masterpiece. Nor is Corpus...

Sum 41 - Sum 41 (Sonisphere 2011)

I briefly stopped over at the Saturn Stage on my way through to watch Revoker at Red Bull Bedroom Jam Stage. The band on next is one of the more unusual choices for Sonisphere. The organisers always seem to throw a wild card into the mix when putting Sonisphere together, 2009 it was Bjorn Again and 2010 we had Good Charlotte. This year Sonisphere went all out and headlined Biffy Clyro, but now we also had pop-punk sensations, Sum 41 playing their hits on the Saturn Stage.

Normally I would have avoided this, but having to go past Saturn Stage to...

Coldplay - Coldplay - Parachutes (2000)

Lightly tasteful tablature stories and fables is the best way to describe the debut album that put Coldplay on the maps of the music industry. 

Just like the reality of a Parachute, this album will seem to be taking its time. Truth is, the combination of musical professionalism and lyrical content is truly going the speed of light. Track three, “Spies", resembles an overcast system hovering over beautiful tropic skies. From one environment to another, using every format of creative instrumental technique to blend into one 5 minute and 18 second song. “ And if we don’t buy here, They’re going to find us,...

Edwyn Collins - Edwyn Collins (Latitude 2011)

Edwyn Collins was an act that saved Latitude's soul and kept it true to its roots. His announcement was one that made sense on a Latitude bill, which cannot be said for many of the other acts on this year's puzzling line up.

It was hard not to feel sorry for Collins, once the sexy rocker front man of Glasweigan post-punk band Orange Juice now reduced to walking with a cane and slurred speech as a result of suffering multiple strokes in his lifetime. But this fact has not affected Collin's confidence, nor his performance. Despite his speech problems, the distinctive...

Sigh - Album Review: Sigh - Scorn Defeat

Sigh's history is odd, and for a group of musicians from Tokyo, their larger story begins in Norway. In the early '90s, Øystein Aarseth (also known as Euronymous) created Deathlike Silence Productions, which focused primarily on Norwegian black metal, including Burzum's _Burzum_, Mayhem's,_ De Mystereiis Dom Sathanas_ and Enslaved's _Vikinglir Veldi_. Shortly before Aarseth's murder, Deathlike Silence Productions was expanding its scope to countries and continents outside the Scandanavian borders. Japanese act Sigh was the first and only non-Scandinavian act signed to Deathlike Silence Productions and would not see their debut released until after the death of Aarseth. When it...

Architects - Architects (Sonisphere 2011)

Brighton based, Architects, are on the Apollo Stage after Sylosis. They have had some turmoil in the band lately with bassist, Alex Dean, leaving in February, but luckily he re-joined in July 2011. Perhaps it was this tasty Sonisphere slot that lured him back?

Generally the band is received with a good response upfront, and two circle pits forming quickly, but they fail to convince the people at the back right from the onset. Saying that, the relentless charm by front man, Sam Carter, seems to have an effect and heads start bobbing around the arena.

The band is tight and solid,...

Alkaline Trio - Alkaline Trio - Damnesia

In his sparse and suitably shocking novel Closer, author Dennis Cooper has two of his characters partake in violent sex while listening to Slayer’s South of Heaven album. Much is made of the rather kooky artwork of the front sleeve â€" a skull laying dormant in what one presumes are the fiery furnaces of Hell â€" and lyrics such as "strangulation, suffocation, death is f***ing you insane," with the implication being that while cruel carnal relations can be truly shocking, this kind of gory excess is frankly a little laughable.

This is not a criticism that could be levelled at

Gavin Degraw - Gavin Degraw - Free (2009)

I had the fun of seeing this guy at the El Rey in Los Angeles while he was promoting this album. The El Rey is a smaller venue with great acoustics so it highlighted his sound and vocals tremendously. The set begins with a cover of "Indian Summer" that is down deep bluesy. It has a gospel-like feel going in, but soon turns into a rough version of the song with his guitarist building the songs strength. "Free", the albums title tack, is your classic track the listener can relate to. "Free" is a slow start with a feel good climb....